


Tulip and Rose

by BabyChocoboAlchemist



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Comfort, Family, Friendship, Heartache, Loss, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-27
Updated: 2018-01-27
Packaged: 2019-03-10 08:24:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13498266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BabyChocoboAlchemist/pseuds/BabyChocoboAlchemist
Summary: "I know what your problem is, you big moron. You're in love with him. You're head-over-heels in love with him and you can't stand seeing him with anyone else. That's all there is to it." Written in celebration of Valentine's Day. Selena counsels the insecure, selfless Arthur on how to handle his escalating feelings for Lord Arielle, rooting for him against the fiercest competition imaginable.Flowers speak a thousand words for those unable to find their voice. Unfortunately, the words Arthur desperately needs to say can't easily find their way out.Note: (The Male Avatar's name is Arielle.)





	Tulip and Rose

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thank you for coming. I'm happy to have you here!
> 
> This was originally written to celebrate my budding love for the one, the only Arthur. Last night I stumbled upon Prince Xander's biography and fell madly in love with him too. After reading about Xander's views on justice, and his earlier years, I began to see he and Arthur would make a brilliant pair of friends. Both of them hide themselves inside of a tight shell, Xander because of the horrendous circumstances of his upbringing, Arthur because he wants to remain a pillar of strength and happiness. I picture Xander being vulnerable to pain, anger and grief while Arthur's vulnerable to insecurities, sadness and guilt.
> 
> The Male Avatar's name is Arielle, while the Female Avatar's name is Stella. Both have blue hair. Both are brother and sister, inspired by my two current Conquest playthroughs with the Female and Male Corrin.
> 
> Red tulips symbolize undying love and loyalty. Purple hyacinths symbolize guilt, Arthur unwittingly drawn to them because of his insecurities. White chrysanthemums symbolize powerful devotion, and the ever-famous red rose is the ideal flower for conveying eternal romantic love.
> 
> I hope you enjoy! Thank you for coming.

It started with a step. No, it was more like a leap. A leap of faith towards something frightening, maddening, quiet and deafening. 

It started with a greeting. An exchange of warm wishes, smiles and memories. Sheltered by morning calm they met, giving each other a glimpse of their life stories. Cementing a bond destined to carry them through the darkest storms. It was a simple meeting, a simple greeting, one that carried a tale of justice and a battle against ne'er-do-wells, but it started everything. In those first moments they discovered something special, a sanctuary unlike any they had ever encountered before, and both swore to hold onto it. 

Fleeting moments of calm were sprinkled with even more incredible tales of derring-do-and the worst luck imaginable. In the wake of deafening heartache, they found solace in each other-the castle's lord absorbing the other's genuine exuberance like water, the hero unable to recognize the effervescent, electric waves flooding every crevace. They explored each other whenever their paths collided on castle grounds, the castle lord smiling after having his heart ground into ashes, the other more than happy to double the warmth. So it was in the sanctuary of their castle it started, over and over again-the two of them finding themselves, discovering something other than the clamor of battle and the maelstroms of ensuing heartache.

It started off easily enough, their meetings innocent even in the wake of swords clashing. Whenever Arielle invited him to his makeshift home away from home, they discovered other worlds. Other places, feelings and sensations not at all associated with battle, or the unfolding conflict between Nohr and Hoshido. Arthur found opening himself like a book getting easier and easier, which sometimes resulted in him sharing every nook and cranny of his day with Arielle-revealing tales of the strangest mishaps. Lady Stella hung onto every one of his words as though they were life-giving elixirs, smiling despite just having his heart broken not even an hour ago. Smiling despite being tormented, haunted by his decision to remain with Nohr. Arthur took no pleasure in having his name stamped on his accomplishments, but bringing Arielle a great deal of much-needed peace was no accomplishment to be taken lightly. Whenever they were together, there was no Nohr. There wasn't any Hoshido. There wasn't any King Garon. There wasn't anything but the smiles they exchanged. Arielle's laughter. His smiles.

It started off easily enough, but then things started to become harder. Arthur didn't put a voice to it, but grew uneasy whenever he found Lady Stella's brother smiling at those that happened to be fervent admirers of his. Holding their hands, comforting them, encouraging them. Kaze was a particularly strong thorn in his side, one strong enough to even pierce his armor. At one point the Prince of Nohr seized the ninja's hands and spoke to him, his words like wildfire, eyes as fierce as the lance Effie carried into battle.

_"Stop acting like your life isn't worth anything! You're more than a servant to us. You're our friend! Don't discard your life and expect me to be okay with it!"_

Arthur didn't put a voice to it, but knew it all made him uncomfortable. How could he put a voice to it when he was supposed to be dedicated to good and justice? But it was there, all the same, the dark voices pulling on him in the back of his mind. The discomfort that grew in the pit of his stomach whenever he saw Stella's brother strengthening bonds with those Arthur knew adored Arielle. But he silenced it. Tried to, anyway. He silenced it, suppressed it, kept a firm lid on it. Kept smiling at Arielle while sharing stories of his battles against never-ending misfortune. Effie, Felicia and Silas prodded at the dark corners of his mind (Silas being one of Arielle's admirers), but Arthur assured them nothing was out of place. All was well, in order, peaceful and calm. As it should be. 

It started off easily enough, but the weight of the world eventually intensified into something much too hard to handle. The conflict between Nohr and Hoshido wouldn't stop snowballing, at present an excruciating truth to bear for Lady Stella and even more so for Lord Arielle. Stella's brother drew comfort from all of those around him, all the while trying to encourage them, trying to keep their faith in their purpose strong. Arielle continued to invite Effie's fellow retainer over, but their talks felt strained, distorted by the threads of fate. No longer did the town's hero feel like a hero. No longer was he enough for the one he cared about the most. 

Seeing him with Kaze wasn't any different from being stung by a hundred bees, but just when Arthur swore he had the perfect lid on himself, the bane of his existence appeared. The worst thorn of all was none other than Prince Xander of Nohr, a creature that not only catapulted Effie's partner out of the equation, but definitely ground every other suitor into dust. Their meetings with Prince Xander were too far and few, but the seasoned swordsman's fondness for Arielle was as loud as a dragon's call. Divinely beautiful, regal and strong, all the while as fragile as a butterfly, Arielle's former brother wasn't a force to be taken lightly. He wasn't a force to collide with at all.

Competing with that was nothing short of impossible. And Arthur believed anything was possible, as long as one's heart was in it.

Entertaining the possibility of Xander remaining at their castle was akin to ramming his own axe into his head.

Sure, Arthur would smile at him. He always smiled. But for how long could he smile at Xan-

Arthur couldn't put a voice to it, but it hurt. Not even the gods could dispense such pain. Knowing he was no longer enough for Arielle hurt like nothing else known to creation. Silas revered Arielle but their lord regarded him as a most precious friend-nothing more. That much could be told from their conversations, so there was that pocket of relief. However, there wasn't much air left to breathe. Kaze was hard enough to deal with, but seeing Arielle's conversations with Xander had Effie's friend bleeding on the inside, raw and open, screaming, worrying, bleeding, aching. As though his insides were covered with a dozen open, bleeding, fatal wounds.

Arthur couldn't put a voice to it, but Selena did. 

_"I know what your problem is, you big moron. You're in love with him. You're head-over-heels in love with him and you can't stand seeing him with anyone else. That's all there is to it."_

Which led to Effie's partner gathering a bouquet of red tulips.

It started with an idea Felicia had, wanting to infuse some desperately needed light into an increasingly dark atmosphere. It was in the wake of a particularly devastating battle against the Hoshido tribe, one that left Lady Stella in dark spirits and her gentle brother in sobs. The idea started off as one meant to honor both the lord and lady, but Stella was vehement about the attention remaining on her sibling-especially with a few suitors having their feelings for him in knots. She found the other half of her soul in Jakob, while Arielle still had some searching to do.

_"Don't mind me. I'll be all right. Just concentrate on Ari. He needs it way more than I do."_

So on the idea went, all focus on Arielle, announced by the idea's creator herself-a giddy, hopeful Felicia.

_"Listen up, ladies and gentlemen! Tonight, we're all going to lift Lord Arielle's spirits by giving him the perfect bouquet of flowers! Everyone, find your own flowers and make sure they're from the heart. They've got some on sale at the market right now, so you'll have plenty to choose from! Tell him something you've been dying to say through flowers! They'll cheer him up, I know they will!"_

_"Perhaps I should get him some purple hyacinth," _Arthur shared with Selena, who had become another partner-in-crime alongside Effie. _"They're rather beautiful flowers, don't you think?"___

___"Ah, yeah, well, they ARE pretty, but you don't wanna apologize for, I dunno, being born or anything so why don't you get him something that screams 'I love you'. That's what you wanna say, so let's go for that. And you don't wanna be boring so skip the dry old roses and go for...I dunno, some tulips. Yeah, red tulips."_ _ _

__Not wanting Arthur to mistake red roses for red tulips, Selena took a trip to the market with him. She found a light that had been missing for what seemed like ages in his eyes that day, when he purchased the flowers that said what he needed to say. The hope within his eyes became a part of her, whisked her into the adrenaline of events yet to unfold. So yes, she rooted for him. Out of all of those fawning over Arielle, and even over Prince Xander, she rooted for Arthur._ _

__How could she not when he was the only good left in their world?_ _

__She'd rather die than admit it out loud, but she was excited. The excitement grew the closer she and Arthur got to Arielle's doorstep. In just a few moments, their lord would open the door and would find a beautiful, happy bouquet of red tulips from a beautiful, happy, selfless man. A man that had spent far too long suffering in the shadows. She knew Arielle's and Stella's little home would be swamped with flowers (almost all of Stella's dedicated to undying friendship, as her heart belonged to Jakob), but for Arielle, a bouquet of red tulips would be the most beautiful of all. "Well, what are you waiting for?" she groaned, playfully punching a visibly anxious Arthur's arm._ _

__"Knock on the door already. Do you want the poor things to die while we're standing out here?"_ _

__..._ _

__"I'll do it," Selena sighed, rolling her eyes, fondness for the panic-stricken man beside her. One, two, three and-_ _

__A warm, beaming blue-haired swordsman opened the door. "Selena! Arthur! Hello," he greeted them, an extra burst of warmth infused into the second name. "What an honor this is." Frail, musical laughter emerged. "Come to bring me flowers? I can't wait to see them."_ _

__"I see you have a fine bouquet of white chrysanthemums, milord," Effie's partner said, inwardly shocked over finding his voice. It may have been hoarse, but he had to take what he could get. His red tulips remained hidden all the while, in the shadows behind his back. "May I ask who they're for?"_ _

__"Oh, these? They're for Xander. Stella and Felicia told me they symbolize everlasting devotion. I found them at the market and thought they'd be perfect, so..."_ _

__All the while keeping a bouquet of red roses hidden in the shadows._ _


End file.
